Konamoxt, Inc.

Wow! What a day. What a day! There is so much to be said about today, so many emotions, so much hope, and an amazing sense of the enormity of what’s ahead of us as a country and a world.

But, I guess, my true colors as an entrepreneur came out today… as I listened to Barack Obama’s inaugural speed I couldn’t help but be inspired as a “builder”, as a “doer”, as a “maker of things”, and as someone who wakes up every morning feeling deeply accountable to make the world a better place than it was when I went to sleep the night before.

There were so many lines that struck me for so many reasons… but as an entrepreur, this line, borrowed only slightly out of context, really hit home.

“…people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.”

This is idea, that the nay sayers, people who prefer to blame others for their plight will ultimately be judged by history for what they are… the problem… this is a very powerful and inspiring idea for those of us who are driven to create against all odds.

In the Seattle high tech startup scene, like much of the country, there has been a rash of recent business closures. And sadly, too often in our immediate community, those entrepreneurs are derided and mocked by the bystanders. This is so common in Seattle, that many entrepreneurs have begun speaking out, and itemizing this local cultural phenomena as one of the reasons our Seattle tech community is less vibrant as other regions (like the oft-cited Bay Area/Silicon Valley).

I have my theories for why this negative attitude is so common in Seattle. I believe this attitude comes from the relatively large mass of local success which has come from a few number of very large organizations. Unfortunately, if my theory is correct, then it’s not something that is likely ever going to change. So instead of worrying about it, and railing against it, I choose to create in spite of it.

I couldn’t possibly say it better than our new President did:

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.

Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

Here’s to a new day in America and the World. Here’s to the Entrepreneurs, “the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things”!

Filed by Brad Hefta-Gaub at 11:28 am under Entrepreneurship, Leadership
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